Wrapping machine



my a, 1924. 1,492,943,

E. L. SMITH WRAPPING MACHINE Filed Jan. 13 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 kg v INKVENTOR I I ATTORNEYS aw; Meal? May 6 1924.

E. L. SMITH WRAPPING MACHINE Filed Jan. 13 1923 2- Sheets-Sheet 2 I -[l.l;lVENTO-l 2 I 1 ATTORNEYS Patented May 6, 1924.

P TENT ELMER L. SMITH, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNGR '10 PACKAGE MA- CEINERY C0MPANY,'.OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSAGHUSETTS, A. CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

WRAPPING MAQHINE.

Application filed January 13, 1923.- Serial No. 612,442.

' and then twisting the projecting ends of the tube to close the same tightly about the ends of the article.

An example of a confection wrapping machine of the above mentioned character is disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,079,012, granted Nov. 18, 1913 to H. J. Kempf. This machine is particularly designed to wrap articles of confection known as kisses. In the operation of this machine the confectionary stock is fed and guided between two sets of grooved rollers which cooperate to form the stock into a rope-like bar of the required cross-sectional shape and size. The second set of rollers feeds the leading end of the bar of stock toward .a loading -station opposite the periphery of a carrier wheel which is provided with peripheral pockets and is intermittently rotated to successively advance said pockets to a position of rest at the loading station. A small piece is cut by a revolving knife from the leading end of the advancing bar of stock, thus forming the kiss which is to be wrapped. A strip of wrappingmaterial is advanced between the kiss and the carrier wheel and a knife is operated to cut a piece from said strip to form the wrapper for the kiss. A pusher then feeds the kiss against the wrapper and forces the kiss, together with the wrapper, into the pocket of the carrier wheel, thus causing the wrapper to be folded around three sides of the kiss and leaving unfolded wrapper flaps projecting beyond the periphery of the wheel. These projecting wrapper flaps are subsequently overlapped against the fourth side of the kiss in the usual manner. Subsequent rotation of the carrier wheel finally positions the kiss between twisting devices which grasp the open ends of the wrapper that project in the form of tube-like extensions beyond the ends of the kiss and twist theseextensions, thus completing the wrapping operation.

In all machines of this type heretofor manufactured, so far as the applicant is aware, the rollers which guide .the leading end of the bar of confectionary stock are arranged at opposite sides of the bar with their axes at right angles to the axis of the carrier wheel; the strip of wrapping material is fed in a direction parallel to the axis of the carrier wheel in order to position it between the periphery of the latter and the kiss that is cut from the confectionary stock; and. the knife for cutting the wrapper strip into pieces rotates in a plane at'right' angles to said strip and parallel to the axes of said rollers. Necessarily therefore, the wrapper cutting knife is spaced away from the kiss to be wrapped by adistance at least as great as the diameter of the adjacent stock feedingroller.

In the machine of thepatent above mentioned, the, stock feeding rollers are of the smallest diameter which it has been found practicable to employ and the knife has been located as close as convenient to the periphery of the adjacent roller in order to economize wrapper material so far as possible. The diameter of the rollers is, howi ever, considerably greater than the length of thekiss to be wrapped and consequently the tubular wrapper extensions which project beyond the ends ofthe kiss and are subsequently twisted are considerably longer than the intermediate portion of the wrapper covering the sides of the kiss. For this reason wrapped kisses and like confections have heretofore been characterized by the presence of relatively long twisted wrapper ends.

It is now realized that such confections can be tightly and adequately wrapped within smaller wrappers which allow much less materialfor the twisted ends. By thus reducing the length of the twisted wrapper ends, substantially less material is required for wrapping each article and while the saving of material thus effected is small in' each instance the aggregate saving when large quantities of articles are wrapped is considerable. F urthermore,wrapped kisses and the like having relatively short twisted. wrapper ends are considered by many to present a-neater and more attractive appearance and consequently to be more readily salable than if the twisted ends of the wrappers were longer. For reasons of economy as well as the desire to improve the appearance of. the wrapped confection there has developed a demand for a machine which will operate to cut the wrappers into the short lengths required to insure short twisted wrapper ends, and toeffectively wrap the confection therein. a

One object of the present invention is to provide certain improvements in wrapping machines of the.character hereinbefore referred to, and more specifically to improve the machine of the above named patent, for

the purpose of enabling articles to be wrapped within wrappers having relatively short twisted wrapper ends, thus effecting the economy of wrapping material above mentioned as well as improving the appearance of the wrapped article.

It is, in many instances, desirable to produce articles of confection which are of rectangular shape, having flat, parallel sides and more or less sharply defined edges and corners. In the machine of the patent above referred to, the bar of confeotionary stock is formed by the guiding and feeding rollers with an approximately circular cross-sectional contour. To facilitate the production of such rectangular confections it has been proposed to modify the shape of the grooves in these rollers so as to make the bar of stock square in cross-section. It has been found howeverthat after individual kisses have been out from a bar of stock thus formed and the kisses transferred to the pockets of the carrier wheel they have been distorted by the action thereon of springactuated compression plungers one of which is associated with each pocket and constitutes one of the side walls thereof, the distortion being characterized chiefly by the bulging of the faces of the confection which are at right angles to the face engaged by said plunger.

Another object of the present invention is to provide means for forming the crosssectional contour of theconfectionary stock in such a manner that after thepieces cut therefrom have been transferred to the pockets of the carrier wheel and there have been acted upon by the compression plungers, the articles finally produced will be of the desired true rectangular shape without bearing any traces of distortion.

by they become flat and the desired rectangular shape of the confection is obtained;

In addition to employing rollers of the peculiar cross-sectional shape above described it 1s also desirable to shape in the same manner the article engaging portion of the reciprocating pusher which is employed to load the articles cut from the bar of stock into the carrier wheel and thus to insure that said articles will not be changed in shape while being acted upon by said pusher.

The invention will now be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment thereof, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of" the improved wrapping machine;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of a portion of the pusher for loading the articles to be wrapped into the carrier wheel; and

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of a pair 0f cooperating stock feeding and forming With this object in view, the present in vention contemplates the use of flanged rollers of a peculiar cross-sectional contour for feeding, guiding and shaping the plastic bar of confectionary stock, the shape of the rollers being such as to produce a bulging of the sides to be engaged by the side walls of the carrier wheel pockets and correspondrollers, showing also a piece of stock being operated upon.

The various operating parts of the illustrated machine, with the exception of the stock-feeding rollers and the wrapper twisting devices, have substantially the. same mode of operation and with the further exception of the pusher and the tubular guideway at the loading station, said parts are substantially the same in. construction as described in Patent No. 1,079,012, hereinbefore referred to. The construction and mode of operation of the wrapper twisting devices is similar to that of the corresponding parts disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,226,622 to H. J. Kempf, dated May 15, 1917. Consequently, only a brief and general description will be given of the parts which are like those of the patented machines, reference being had to said patents for a more detailed description thereof, if desired.

Referring to the drawings, the two sets of rollers which cooperate to guide and feed the bar of confectionery stock are indicated at 5 and 6, the carrier wheel at 7, the revolving knife for cutting from the stock the pieces to be wrapped at 8, the pusher'for transferring the cut pieces to the carrier wheel at 9, the knife for cutting the wrappers at 10, and the twisting devices at 11. The rollers are constructed, arranged and driven as will be hereinafter described and they operate to advance a bar of plastic confectionary stock along a horizontal feed table 12 and to feed the leading end of the bar vertically downward through a tubular guideway 14 to a loading station 15. At

the loading station 15 the cut pieces or is operated step-by-step in timewith the revolving knife 8 to successively advance the pockets 18 to positions of rest at the loading station 15 to receive the kisses. While be ing advanced by the pusher 9 the kiss engages a wrapper 20 which has been severed by the knife 10 from a strip of wrapping material leading from a supply roll 22. After being deposited in the pocket 18, the kiss has a wrapper folded about its top, bottom. and forward sides, thus leaving two flaps projecting toward the feeding mechanism. The lower side flap is folded over against the rear side of the kiss by means of a swinging folder blade 23 and the upper Side flap -is overlapped upon the folded lower side flap, during the rotation of the carrier wheel, by means of a stationary folding plate 24:. When the kiss is introduced into a pocket of the carrier wheel, the plunger 19 associated with that pocket is held in retracted position by means of a cam 25 and prior to the next step movement of the carrier wheel said cam is actuated to force said plunger toward the opposite side charged from the carrier wheel by the retraction of the plunger 19 while the pocket which is occupied by the kiss approaches its lowermost position.

The construction and mode of operation of the twisting devices is substantially the same as that disclosed in the Patent No. 1,226,622, hereinbefore referred to and since the present invention is not concerned therewith it will not be necessary to explain the same herein. As already stated, the construction of all the other operating parts;

except the rollers 5 and 6, the driving means therefor, the tubular guideway 14, and the pusher 9 isthe same as in the Kempf Pat ent No. 1,079,012. The means for actuating the pusher-9 is of the same construction as the corresponding means in said patent. In accordance with the present invention 'however, the rollers 5 and 6 together with the associated feed tables 12, are constructed and arranged in a peculiar manner, the arrangement of the rollers 6 being such as to permit of the wrapper cutting knife 10 being located closer to the kiss positioned at the loading station and thereby to provide for the cutting of shorter wrappers for the. purpose of reducing the length of the twisted wrapper ends. The shape of the pusher 9 and of the tubular guideway 14 have also been modified from that of the pusher and guideway in the patented machines, as will hereinafter appear.

In the present improved machine the feed tables 12 are arranged to support the bar of confectionary stock in a horizontal position, the bar extending at right'angles. to the rotational axis of the carrier wheel, instead of parallel thereto, as in the machine by the first inentioned patent. A corresponding change has been made in the arrangement of the rollers 5 and '6'which, in the present machines, are arranged with their axes parallel to the axis of the carrier wheel, thus enabling them to feed the stock along the feed tables 12. Thence the bar of stock is fed downward in a vertical direction between the rollers 6 and through the tubular guideway 14 to the loading station 15. The rollers 5 and 6 are provided with shafts or trunnions which are journaledin brackets 27 which also rigidly support the feed tables 12 and are secured to the frame 28 of the wrapping machine. The shaft'carrying the uppermost roller 5 extends beyond the bracket 27, at one side of the roller, and is connected through intermeshing bevel gears 29 with a shaft 30 which, in turn, may be connected *by intermeshing bevel gears 31 with'a vertical shaft 32 that is connected in any suitable manner with the main driving shaft of the machine. The trunnions of the rollers 6 carry interme-shing gears 3 1 which are driven from the shaft 28 through a gear 35 on the shaft 28 and an idler gear 36 which intermeshes with the gear 35 and with one of the gears 34.

With the rollers 6 arranged .as above described, their side faces are disposed opposite to the face of the knife 10 which cuts the wrappers from the supply strip of Wrapping material. The axial width of the rollers 6 is, as shown, very much less than the diameterthereof. Thus it will be seen that by arranging the rollers 6 with-their axes parallel to that of the carrier wheel, and by lo-v cating the knife 10 closely adjacent and parallel to the faces of the rollers, all as shown in the drawings, the distance between the knife 10 andthe bar of confectionary stock can be made very much less than if the rollers 6 were arranged as heretofore, i. e., with their axes at right angles to the axis of the carrier, in which latter case the knife 10 must necessarily be spaced from the bar of stock by a distance at least as great as the diameter of the rolls. In other words, with the improved arrangement of the rollers '6, the knife 10 may be readily mounted, as shown in Fig. 1, suificiently close to the bar of confectionary stock to enable the wrap pers to be cut in shorter lengths so that the desired saving in wrapper material may be effected. Obviously, with the knife 10 locat-ed nearer the confectionary stock, as described, the mechanism for feeding the wrapping material may he adjusted to advance the latter through a shorter distance at each feed movement.

For the purpose of insuring that the kisses will be finally formed in the desired true rectangular shape provision is made,.in accordance with the present invention, whereby the bar of confectionery stock is shaped in cross-sectionv as shown in Fig. 4, having two opposite bulging sides and two correspondingly depressed sides 5. This crosssectional shape of the bar of stock is obtained by shaping the grooves in the rollers 5 and 5 as shown in Fig. 4, the base of the groove in each roller bulging as at c to produce the depressed sides of the bar, while the inner faces of the roller flanges are dished as at d to produce the bulging sides of the bar of stock.

The pusher 9 is recessed as shown at 38, in Fig. 3, to enable it to embrace the kiss as it feeds it along the table 16 to the carrier wheel. In accordance with the present invention the'walls of the recess in the pusher are shaped, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, to correspond to the cross-sectional contour of the barof stock to insure that the kisses will not be in the least distorted while being acted upon by the pusher. The cr0ss=sectional shape of the tubular guideway 14: has also been made to substantially conform to the cross-sectional shape of the bar of stock being operated upon. By thus modifying the shape of the tubular guideway 14 distortion of the stock being fed therethrough is avoided and a cleaner cut of the knife 8 is assured.

The rollers 6 and the pusher 9, being constructed as described, the kisses when introduced into the pockets of the carrier wheel will be located with their bulging sides 0pposite the compression plunger 19 and the opposed side wall of the pocket while the depressed sides of the kiss will be located at the base and at the open top of the pocket. 'When the kisses, thus positioned in the pockets 18, are compressed by the piungers.

19, the bulging sides a of the kisses will be flattened and the excess material of the bulging port-ions forced inwardly to cause t e depressions b to be filled out to a correineaeaa sponding amount. As a result, all four sides of the kiss are made flat and the desired rectangular shape of the confection is ohtained.

The invention having been described, what is claimed is a 1. In a wrapping machine, the combin'a tion with a carrier wheel having peripheral article-receiving pockets, and means for supporting an article to be wrapped and loading it into one of said pockets, of cooperating rollers arranged with their axes parallel to the aXis cf said carrier wheel for feeding a bar of confectionery stock to said loading" means, means fer cutting pieces from the leading end of the bar to form the articles to be wrapped, and a knife movable in a plane at right angles to the axes of said rollers and adjacent the end faces of the rollers for cutting into predetermined lengths a strip of wrapping material fed in front of said pocket to form individual wrappers for said articles.

2. In a wrapping machine, the combination of a roller of less axial length than diameter for feeding a bar of confectionery stock, means for cutting said bar transversely into pieces to form. articles to be wrapped, a.

carrier wheel arranged with its axis parallel to the axis of the said roller and having peripheral article receiving pcckets, means for loading the articles into said pockets, and a knife movable in a plane parallel to and adjacent the end of the said rciler for cutting into predetermined lengths a strip of wrapping material fed between the loading-means and the carrier wheel to form' individual wrappers for said articles.

3. In a wrap-ping machine, the combination of cooperating rollers of greater diameter than axial length for feeding a her of cenfectionary stock, means for cutting said bar transversely into pieces to form articles to be wrapped, means for. supporting said articles and feeding them at right angles to the direction of feed of said bar, and a swinging knife for cutting into predetermined lengths, a strip of wrapping material fed across its path and across the path of the bar transversely into pieces to be wrapped,

support for the cut pieces, a carrier wheel having pockets for receiving said pieces, and

a reciprocating pusher for transferring said vthroughout its length and with de ressions extending throughout the length 0 the bar between said bulging portions.

5. In a wrapping machine, in combinavtion, means for feeding a bar of plastic confectionary stock and forming the same with diametrically opposed portions bulging outwardly throughout the length of the bar and with a corresponding depression extending throughout the length of the bar at opposite sides thereof between said bulging portions, means for cutting the bar transversel into pieces to be wrapped, a support for t e cut pieces, a carrier wheel having pockets for receiving said pieces, and a reci rocating pusher for transferring said pieces rom said support to said carrier wheel, said pusher being recessed to provide walls shaped to conform to one of t e recessed sides and portions of the opposite bulging sides of the cut pieces to prevent distortion of the same during said transfer.

6. In a wrapping machine, in combination, cooperating flan ed rollers for feeding a bar of plastic con ectionary stock, said rollers being shaped in cross-section to form diametrically opposed outwardly bul 'ng portions extending throughout the lengt of the bar and corresponding depressions extending throughout the length of the bar at both sides thereof between said bulging portions, means for cutting said bar transversely into pieces to be wrapped, a support for the cut pieces, a carrier wheel having pockets for receiving said pieces, and a pusher reciprocable at right angles to the length of the cut pieces, said pusher having a recess correspon ing in shape to the crosssectional shape of said flanged rollers thereby providing faces on the usher adapted to engage said out pieces an conform to the contour of one of the depressed sides and part of the opposite bulgin sides thereof to preserve .said sides from istortion during the transfer of the piece from said support to the carrier wheel. 4

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

ELMER L. SMITH. 

